Keqiao District, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, after more than 40 years, has developed from a "water cloth market" to an "international textile capital", and 1/4 of the world's fabrics are traded here every year.
In Shengze Town, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, more than 2,500 textile production enterprises have gathered on more than 140 square kilometers of land, with an annual output of more than 13 billion meters of various textiles.
The textile industry is a traditional advantageous industry in mainland China, covering raw and auxiliary material manufacturing, textile manufacturing, garment production and other links. At present, China's textile industry has formed the world's largest and most complete industrial system, and its manufacturing capacity and international trade scale have long ranked first in the world. In 2022, the total fiber processing volume of the mainland textile industry will exceed 60 million tons, accounting for more than half of the global proportion; The total export value of textiles and apparel was 340.95 billion US dollars, accounting for more than 1/3 of the global total.
Shaoxing Keqiao Hengming Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd. unmanned chemical fiber workshop.
Photo by Qiu Enhui
In the laboratory of Shixing Textile & Finishing (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., employees are operating acid dye chemicals.
Photo by Qiu Yuxuan
What new opportunities and challenges will be brought to the mainland textile industry by accelerating the evolution of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, and accelerating the reconstruction of the global industrial chain? How do textile enterprises respond to the situation, cultivate new opportunities, and open a new situation?
The application of a new generation of information technology is accelerating
The intelligent and green transformation is progressing steadily
Walking into the production workshop of Jingyi Group, located in the industrial concentration area of Shengze Town, the yarn was rolled off the line one after another, and only the sound of the machine was heard, but the workers were almost invisible. The whole production process is connected to the intelligent system, the technical parameters can be adjusted in real time by the computer, and the spinning and winding operations are all completed by automatic machines.
"Last year, we invested 560 million yuan in the transformation of short-process equipment and added 90 new vortex spinning machines." Chen Lu, general manager of the company, said that compared with the ring spinning process previously adopted, the vortex spinning machine has increased the production efficiency by 25 times, and the workers only need 1/10 of the original, and there is no waste gas and wastewater discharge in the entire production process.
The traditional textile industry is a labor-intensive industry. In recent years, the textile industry has accelerated the application of a new generation of information technology such as 5G, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and industrial Internet, steadily promoted digital and intelligent transformation, and opened up new space for the industry to improve quality and efficiency. By the end of 2022, the overall development level evaluation index of informatization and industrialization integration of the textile industry in mainland China has reached 57.1, the digitization rate of production equipment has reached 55.6%, and the readiness rate of intelligent manufacturing has reached 14.6%.
Intelligent transformation has improved production efficiency and achieved green transformation.
"In 2002, it took 15 kilograms of water to dye 1 kilogram of cloth, but now it only takes 4 kilograms." Pu Jianfeng, general manager of Zhejiang Yuexin Printing and Dyeing Co., Ltd., said that the significant reduction in water consumption comes from the upgrading of equipment.
The digital transformation of Vietsun printing and dyeing began in 2018. "Each more than 800,000 yuan of air cylinder dyeing machine, 91 new units. In addition, the transformation of front-end equipment and control devices has a total investment of 120 million yuan. Pu Jianfeng calculated an account to reporters: before the transformation, the direct cost of processing 1 meter of cloth was 2.2 yuan, and after the transformation, it was only 1.7 yuan, and the cost of processing about 170 million meters of cloth a year could save more than 8,000 yuan. ”
Printing and dyeing is a key link in energy conservation and emission reduction in the textile industry, and its wastewater discharge accounts for about 70% of the entire textile industry. In recent years, with the continuous promotion and application of green advanced and applicable technologies and processes, the level of cleaner production in the printing and dyeing industry has been continuously improved. According to the estimation of the industry association, in the past ten years, the amount of wastewater treatment, chemical oxygen demand and ammonia nitrogen emissions in the printing and dyeing industry have decreased by about 30%, 80% and 90% respectively, the water consumption per unit of product has decreased by more than 40%, the comprehensive energy consumption per unit product has decreased by more than 30%, and the water reuse rate has increased from 15% to 40%.
Upgrading requires real money. In the textile industry, small and micro enterprises account for more than 90%. In order to solve the problem of small and medium-sized enterprises "unwilling to transfer, dare not transfer, and will not transfer", many localities have taken pragmatic measures.
"We have set up a special class for industrial renewal to help enterprises upgrade and transform." Sun Jian, director of the Shengze Town Economic Development and Reform Bureau, said that the government has established an independent update project library, and the first batch of 130 enterprises were selected, which were connected by special personnel and enterprises, and technical experts from the digital solution provider team were stationed in the enterprise to solve the difficulties in the transformation process in a timely manner. ”
The ability of scientific and technological innovation has been continuously enhanced
Provide strong support for the development of thousands of industries
Waste clothing, scraps and other waste polyester materials are reduced to polyester through chemical decomposition, and plastic bottles are recycled into silk through processes such as impurity, mixing, melting, and spinning. At the National Advanced Functional Fiber Innovation Center, polyester yarn extracted from 8 waste plastic bottles can be woven into a men's polo shirt.
(Image source: Focus Interview)
"In order to develop degradable raw materials, we have overcome a series of technical problems such as key technologies for melt viscosity homogenization, large-capacity production of recycled fibers, and long-term polymerization operation." Mei Feng, chief engineer of Shenghong Group Co., Ltd., said.
Greener and lighter is one of the development trends of the apparel industry. "There are more than 300 kinds of self-developed acetate fabrics in the store, and the most expensive ones are sold for more than 100 yuan per meter." The person in charge of Zhejiang Dashu Textile Technology said that acetic acid fabrics are made of natural plants such as cotton, with soft texture, strong moisture absorption and air permeability, and are not easy to generate static electricity and do not absorb dust, which is suitable for making high-end women's clothing and has a huge market space.
In recent years, textile enterprises have been developing new materials based on consumer needs and promoting functional upgrades, while also aiming at the raw material needs of thousands of industries and continuing to expand the market.
"This is our self-developed microfiber suede-like material, which is used in car seats, headliners, steering wheels and other components." In Keqiao District Zhejiang Meisheng New Materials Co., Ltd., deputy general manager Qian Neng showed reporters the advanced fabrics used to make automotive interiors, "the steady development of the mainland automobile industry has brought a broad space for development to automotive interiors. ”
Qian Neng told reporters that the microfiber imitation suede material has both the texture of the leather and the softness of the fabric, as well as the characteristics of friction resistance, constant temperature insulation, etc., which is widely recognized by the industry, "At present, we have reached cooperation with 80% of the new energy vehicle brands in the market, with a market share of nearly 70%."
There is also "textile power" in the heavy weapons of the big countries. "The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge undersea tunnel is fully connected, and reinforced concrete joints weighing about 6,000 tons need to be hoisted into the seabed to a depth of 28 meters. The sling is made of the company's self-developed creep-resistant marine polyester industrial yarn. Tang Fangming, assistant general manager of Jiangsu Hengli Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd., said that during the construction process, four 40 cm rough hoisting belts composed of more than 130,000 high-strength fiber filaments completed the hoisting task steadily and accurately.
There are many similar applications in all walks of life: resin-based carbon fiber materials are light in weight and strong in stiffness, and can be used in the fuselage of C919 large aircraft; The melt-spun fiber has good biocompatibility and strong durability, and the absorbable scaffold made of it can be used in medical clinical surgery. Electronic grade glass fiber yarn has good insulation and high mechanical strength, and is widely used in the production of wind turbine blades.
(Image source: Shenghong Group)
"The scientific and technological innovation ability of the mainland textile industry has entered the stage of 'running and leading' from the stage of 'following', the total production capacity of high-performance fibers accounts for more than 1/3 of the world's total, and the technical level of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene and other varieties has reached the international advanced level." Sun Ruizhe, president of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, said that in the next step, the textile industry will focus on key basic materials and cutting-edge fiber materials such as nanofibers and smart fibers, continue to develop high-performance fibers, industrial special fibers and other products, and comprehensively consolidate the foundation of textile science and technology self-reliance.
"Going out" with the help of cross-border e-commerce
Enhance the influence of China's textile and garment brands
In September, Milan International Fashion Week; In October, Shengze Textile Expo; In November, the World Cloth Merchants Congress... In the second half of the year, Cai Xiaoming, general manager of Zhejiang Langbeni Textile Technology Co., Ltd., which is mainly engaged in the research and development, production and sales of casual and fashionable women's clothing fabric products, frequently participates in domestic and foreign exhibitions to promote brands and broaden sales, "hoping to bring Chinese design and Chinese brands to the international stage, so that the world can understand our innovative culture and craftsman spirit." ”
As a major textile country, the mainland has the world's most complete textile and garment industry system, but it has always lacked internationally renowned brands. In recent years, with excellent quality and novel design, some Chinese textile and garment brands have gradually gained a firm foothold in the international market: Bosideng down jacket sales volume and sales volume have achieved the world's first; Yaguang Home Textiles' towel products lead the international market share; The annual production capacity of Vosges towel series products is 60,000 tons, ranking first in the world. According to statistics, 32.6% of the 46 consumer brand enterprises included in the list of "100 key textile and garment brands" of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology have opened offline stores in foreign markets.
(Image source: Bosideng)
The vigorous development of cross-border e-commerce has also provided a favorable opportunity for mainland textile enterprises to accelerate their "going out".
Golden Cicada Curtain, an old domestic brand founded in 1988. In 2017, when online live streaming was just emerging, they entered the Amazon platform. "Since 2020, the annual growth rate of platform sales has been stable at 20% to 30%, and last year's platform sales reached more than 7,000 yuan." Yang Lairong, chairman of Jincian Curtain, lamented that cross-border e-commerce has opened up the international market for Jinchan brand.
"In 2022, the e-commerce B2B (business-to-business) transaction volume of the national textile and garment industry will reach about 6 trillion yuan, and the online retail sales of clothing and home textiles will exceed 2 trillion yuan, all of which will maintain stable growth." Xu Jianhua, vice president of the circulation branch of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, said that cross-border e-commerce has become an effective way for textile enterprises and brands to reduce intermediate links, save transaction costs, achieve rapid response and enhance brand awareness.
The recognition of textile brands in the domestic market is also increasing. "In recent years, textile and garment brand building and fashion design have fully entered the development stage with independent originality as the main body, and the inheritance and innovation of oriental aesthetics and national culture have gradually become the mainstream of fashion." Sun Ruizhe said. At present, about 85% of the clothing and home textile brands of major large-scale commercial entities in China are independent brands, and the consumption scale of original fashion brands accounts for more than 15% of brand consumption.
The relevant person in charge of the Consumer Goods Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said that it will continue to promote the construction of textile and garment brands, and strive to form 20 world-renowned corporate brands and regional brands by 2025 to further enhance the leading force of mainland fashion.
Source: People's Daily
Disclaimer: The content and pictures of this article are reprinted, only for readers to communicate and learn, the copyright of the article belongs to the original author, if you need to forward, please indicate the original source. If it involves the copyright of the work or other issues, please contact the editor, and we will delete the relevant content as soon as possible! This statement applies to all shared/reprinted articles on this platform, thank you for your cooperation.